The Truth of the Matter: My Life in and Out of Politics

Lance, the political strategist who guided Jimmy Carter's successful 1976 presidential campaign, was forced to resign as budget director a year later due to accusations of irregular banking practices when he headed the National Bank of Georgia. In this informal memoir written with former Wash ing ton Post reporter Gilbert, Lance offers his version of his ordeal as the most investigated citizen in the history of the United States (the Justice Department's file on the case contains more than 400,000 pages), describing his appearances before congressional committees and his eventual exoneration by a jury in 1980. He claims that the campaign to drive him out of Washington was sparked by fears that he might be appointed chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Lance also defends longtime friend Carter against charges that his presidential performance was characterized by weakness and indecision. His matter-of-fact attitude about his difficulties is admirable, even inspiring, but his long absence from the public eye makes it unlikely that the book will have wide appeal. (Nov.)